Jonas Folger: From MotoGP star to a complete stranger

Jonas Folger arrived in MotoGP after nine seasons at the World Championship and the success didn’t took long to come, getting a podium soon in the year of debut. But since he was diagnosed with Gilbert Syndrome, the german left the scene. Hervé Poncharal, a friend and former chief, says the rider has been uncontactable for some time.

‘I don’t know what Folger is doing. The only thing I know is, he is uncontactable. Nobody can reach him’, the official told Crash: ‘There were people at Milwaukee when Eugene Laverty was injured who tried to call him and when Schrotter had a problem they tried to reach him… Everybody who tried to get contact him, impossible. So he has no interest at the moment to reply’.

The german, remember, arrived last year to the class queen and got to be in the fight for the title of best rookie of the year, arriving at the podium in the Germany GP.

Poncharal was questioned, before confirming Syahrin for 2019, if Folger was an option. Here’s what the Tech3 leader said:

– So I don’t know about Folger. I’m not going to sign him because, firstly he has never been in contact with me, and also I don’t think he ever showed any desire [to return] – through any media or any friends. Even our sponsor Motul Germany wanted to invite him to the Sachsenring as an ambassador and do things with him. He never managed to get back to them.